Inaugural Issue of Ski Washington Magazine

I just got this in my mailbox yesterday afternoon, the inaugural issue of Ski Washington Magazine. I'm really stoked to have landed the cover image for the first issue. This shot of Chad Wertz at Mt Baker has been one of my favorite shots for years. It just makes me want to grab my skis and head to the mountains.

Beyond having the honor of snagging the cover of the magazine, I'm also honored that the people at Ski Washington wanted to profile me as one of the "biggest names in the business". It's always an honor to have your work appreciated, and even more of an honor when someone wants to highlight your career and contribution to the industry.

If you'd like to read the article or if you'd like to look through the entire magazine, follow the link here to see an online version of the mag.

I'd like to give a big thanks to Karen Stebbins at Ski Washington for making all of this happen and to Crai Bower for writing the incredible article. Also, a huge thanks to all the athletes that I shot with. Chad Wertz, Kip Garre, Laura Ogden and Scott Rinkenberger... you guys RULE!!! Thanks for working with me.

The First Day Back on Snow Since Last Winter

I just spent this past weekend up in the Cascade Mountains of Washington... a place that feels much like my home away from home. I say this because for a large portion of my life, I've spent the bulk of my existence in the mountains, more specifically in the mountains during winter.

When I first started my career in photography it was focused solely on skiing. I spent all of my time behind the lens, traveling around the world in pursuit of exotic mountains and deep snow.

However, in time as I've grown my career, and expanded it to other styles and subject matters I'm not able to spend my every waking day on snow. And although I may not shoot skiing as much as I had in the past, there's still a large part of who I am that's tied up in skiing and being in the mountains. It's where my roots are and it's where I feel truly comfortable and at home.

So when the weather here in Seattle recently started to shift to the grey, and gloomy overcast that the Northwest is so famous for, most everyone around me fell into their winter depression. I on the other hand lit up inside. Soon I would be back up in the mountains again... knee deep in snow, freezing my ass off and smiling.

Friday morning came and I had spent the night before much like a child on Christmas Eve does... trying to fall asleep as quickly as possible so that morning would come and the rewards of the day would be upon me. I rose early, started the coffee maker, grabbed my ski gear, loaded the car and prepared myself for the two hour drive to Crystal Mountain.

I usually don't do well waiting for anything, and the idea of sitting still for two hours is usually murder for me. But there's always been something calming to me about driving to the mountains. It's a time to reflect, to listen to good music, to drink coffee, to catch up with friends and to enjoy a slow start to your day. Most days, I'm bombarded the very moment I wake up with work, emails and the chores of daily living. But on this day (and every other day I spend in the mountains) I get to enjoy the start of the day at a snails pace... and I love it.

In an attempt to preserve the first day of the winter I tried to cut back on the amount of work that was involved, and instead tried to focus on the pure enjoyment of skiing. This was not going to be one of my big "ad days" where I capture that perfect moment that lands on the cover of a resort brochure or on the product hang tag of a new pair of skis. No, today was about trying to remember what keeps me coming back to the mountains every winter year after year after year.

So, with this in mind, I stashed my camera pack for the bulk of the day and instead chose to ski for the pure pleasure of it. The only camera I took with me was the one on my iPhone and the shots I've included on this post are from that.

They're not images of skiers descending obscenely steep, cliff ridden faces. It's not the images I've built my career on of skiers neck deep in shimmering powder either. These photos are the images that speak to me about the soul of skiing. They're the moments beyond the sport that speak to the calmness and serenity that you experience when you're out in nature (no I'm not a hippy, I promise).

So, the point to all my rambling in the preceding paragraphs is this... this post is meant to share some of the reasons why I ski. It's been a way for me to get back in touch with the very reasons I first fell in love with skiing and photography. To go back to capturing the simple moments, without a big fancy camera or lighting equipment or world famous athletes. And instead, focus on the simplistic things around us that make us happy.

Freeskier Magazine Contributor Bio

This little "shout out" from Freeskier Magazine ran about a month ago, but I wanted to upload it to the blog before I forget.

It's nothing super special, but it's always an honor when any of the magazines I work with want to call extra attention to me and my work.

It's an even bigger honor to share the page with one of my long time idols, the late Shane McConkey. I wish I could have had the opportunity to shoot with Shane, but I'm glad if nothing else, I got to share a few minutes with him over a cup of coffee at Squaw Valley two years ago. Thanks Shane, for being you, for all that you did for the sport of skiing and for the impact you had on my life and so many others. You will be missed.

Anyways, I apologize for getting off track for a moment. I want to give a big thanks to Shay Williams, the photo editor at Freeskier, for putting this together and for calling me "one of skiing's hardest working photographers"... what can I say, I'm flattered. Now I guess I should get back to work so I can keep that reputation.

Ski Union Feature Article

I was recently asked by the European magazine Ski Union to write a feature article about a trip I took last winter with Matchstick Productions to Northern British Columbia. You heard correctly... I got asked to write something... whooohooo!!! This is the first article that I've ever had published where I got to both write and shoot the entire piece. I'm stoked to have had the opportunity to test out my writing skills again, seeing as the last time I formally sat down and wrote anything, other than a grocery list, was my senior thesis in Anthropology some 8 years ago.

At any rate, I'm stoked that I was given the chance to test my creative writing skills again and I'm really happy with how the piece turned out. Thanks to Pally Learmond and Jamie Cameron at Ski Union for the opportunity. And a huge thanks to James Heim, Ingrid Backstrom, Hugo Harrison and the guys at MSP. It's always a pleasure to work with that crew.

Hope you all enjoy.

Click here to view the article.

If This Guy Can Dunk: Photo Shoot

I just recently met up with my friend Jason King and did a shoot with him to promote his new website and personal project www.ifthisguycandunk.com/. Jason is about to turn 30 and in an attempt to cling to his his youth, he is learning how to dunk a basketball. If you haven't yet had a chance to check out his website, I highly recommend grabbing a comfortable chair and clicking through his video journals. They're funnier than hell, well edited and have a killer soundtrack.

Anyways, all pimping of someone else's work aside, below is a link to a short behind the scenes video we shot during our shoot. This isn't a technical "how to" lighting seminar, it's just a little teaser to show what went into making the shots. Enjoy!

Nikon World Magazine: Cover and Feature Article

This is a bit old, but I just realized that it wasn't on the blog... and it should be. Sorry if you've already seen this, and it's old news to you. But to the rest, enjoy!

First Post: Images from last years Warren Miller Shoot

This is my first post to the blog, so bare with me a little bit on this one... I'm still learning how this whole "internet/ world wide web" thing works.

Regardless of my technology shortcomings, below is a link to some of the images I shot for Warren Miller Entertainment this past March at Crystal Mountain, Washington. The images are part of their marketing collateral for their upcoming movie "Dynasty".

I was honored to shoot for Warren Miller this past year. I'd grown up watching Warren Miller movies from an early age. I can remember going to the annual shows with my parents and getting stoked about the impending winter after watching people fall clumsily off of chair lifts. On top of that, I was getting to shoot on my home turf of Crystal Mountain.

Follow the link and it will take you to the Warren Miller Entertainment media gallery where you can see photos from the shoot.

Enjoy!
Dynasty Sneak Peak Photo Album #6 2009